In his seminary studies, most of Esau’s professors were white progressives who claimed that in order to fully liberate Black Americans, the Bible needed to be “deconstructed.” Esau recalls his confusion upon hearing this perspective, as the Bible had been his greatest resource for hope and freedom growing up in an African American community in the Southern United States. In part one (0:00-13:00), Tim and Jon interview Esau McCaulley about his latest book, Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope. In fact, this is a responsibility for followers of Jesus. Government is a created good and ought not be abolished, but if there is a system that lends itself unduly to fear, it is within biblical precedent to criticize that system.The communities in which we read the Bible influence the way we interpret Scripture and what portions of Scripture we invest in most heavily.If the Bible is unreadable apart from a German deconstruction and reconstruction, then it truly becomes the literature of a white man’s religion.And so, the African American who comes out of the Black church, who maintains the sense that the Bible is God’s word to us for our good, who’s also concerned for justice, finds himself or herself often out of vogue in a variety of communities.

And in general, evangelical churches tend to be theologically traditional but very hesitant in issues of justice. In general, the progressive tradition in white church bases is known for strong advocacy for justice but is often revisionist on key elements of Christian teaching.

Reading While Black by Esau McCaulley